Week 4 (Auburn vs. Kansas State) - Sunday Updates

[RunInRed 16,403]

Both coordinators met the media tonight ...

DC Ellis Johnson

Phillip Marshall/247Sports (via YouTube)

"(Kansas State) just executes extremely well. ... They don't beat themselves."

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Johnson: "I thought in some phases we played better against Arkansas than we did against San Jose (State)."

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Johnson says he thinks Thursday night's game will be the best gauge of Auburn's defense so far this season.

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Johnson on high-scoring games: "It doesn't bother me. I just think that's the way football has evolved."

@wareagleextra

Johnson on K-State: "They have a good system that the players know really well."

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EJ: "When they get in the Wildcat, it's just like everybody else, … they have 4-5 formations they show you. You have to run check defenses."

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Johnson on off. comparisons b/w KSU & AU: "There offense is not like ours, they do a lot of designed runs more than option runs like we do."

@AUBlog

Ellis Johnson on KSU: "They don't beat themselves."

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Johnson on KSU wide receiver Tyler Lockett: "Really good player. He plays both sides, so you don't always have the guy you want on him."

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Johnson said the biggest advantage of the off week was that younger players in the two-deep got some extra attention.

@JFergusonAU

Johnson: "They don't snap the ball extremely fast, but they get to the line of scrimmage real early."

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Johnson: "I think they're going to be the best team we've played" so far

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Johnson: "Mincy has probably played the best of all" the corners

@JamesCrepea

Auburn D-coordinator Ellis Johnson on linebackers: "They've been productive and made plays. I'd like for them to be more consistent."

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Auburn defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson on this era of runaway offenses: "It's what fills the seats and cuts those TV sets on."

@AUGoldMine

[RunInRed 16,403]

OC Rhett Lashlee

Phillip Marshall/247Sports (via YouTube)

Lashlee on KSU DE Ryan Mueller: "Man, he plays harder than anyone I've ever seen...he has an unbelievable motor ... we have to know where he's at."

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Lashlee said KSU's defense "won't give you anything cheap." Teams have a hard time getting explosive plays against the Wildcats.

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Lashlee on ball security issues early on: "It takes no ability in the world to hold onto the ball...you just have to be ball-conscious."

@JFergusonAU

Lashlee: "I think our guys are excited. We know we're about to play a really good team at their place."

@waregleextra

Lashlee on road trip to Kansas State: "I think it's a great measuring stick to see where we're at."

@AUGoldMine

Lashlee on WR Sammie Coates (knee): "We're still very optimistic he'll be ready to roll."

@bmarcello

Lashlee: "We've done fairly well in the second half and are finishing games. .. We preach to our guys you can't be up and down."

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Lashlee on KSU run defense: "They don't do a ton, but they're really good at what they do. They're going to make you earn everything."

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Lashlee on Jeremy Johnson: "There's no doubt we have plenty of confidence in Jeremy to do it all."

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Lashlee jokes about losing track of the # of Auburn's lost fumbles: "It's kind of like being at my house, I'm wrong most of the time."

@AUBlog

[aucanucktiger 1,791]

I'm delighted to read high scoring games don't bother our DC. Simply delighted.

[Rednilla 5,390]

I'm delighted to read high scoring games don't bother our DC. Simply delighted.

Oh come on. He said nothing about it not bothering him, he simply stated the fact that most fans want to see high flying offenses, not defensive struggles.

[WarEagle84 0]

I'm delighted to read high scoring games don't bother our DC. Simply delighted.

Oh, why don't you just come out and say you want Ellis fired.

[mattarcara 0]

I'm delighted to read high scoring games don't bother our DC. Simply delighted.

I agree that was a dumb thing to say. I think Ellis is a good DC, though.

[AUTUmike 79]

Our defense has allowed a total of 3 points in the second half this year. I'll take that. Ellis Johnson makes outstanding adjustments at half time.

[RunInRed 16,403]

Videos added to OPs.

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

I'm delighted to read high scoring games don't bother our DC. Simply delighted.

You're obviously reading more into it than is there.

I believe the opposite of what you're thinking is true. That is, after all he's seen and done, it's simply a matter of having one more point on the board than your opponent at the end of the game. Furthermore, that he has no ego, his sense of self worth is not tied up in having a shut down defense.

Not sure if you realize it, but we have some deficiencies in personnel on the defensive side of the ball. Ellis Johnson has seen it all and flat out knows how to coach and make adjustments in game. We've lost two games with him as DC. That is delightful.

[bigbird 60,510]

[Guest jojo1515]

I'm delighted to read high scoring games don't bother our DC. Simply delighted.

You're obviously reading more into it than is there.

I believe the opposite of what you're thinking is true. That is, after all he's seen and done, it's simply a matter of having one more point on the board than your opponent at the end of the game. Furthermore, that he has no ego, his sense of self worth is not tied up in having a shut down defense.

Not sure if you realize it, but we have some deficiencies in personnel on the defensive side of the ball. Ellis Johnson has seen it all and flat out knows how to coach and make adjustments in game. We've lost two games with him as DC. That is delightful.

So are you saying EJ lost those 2 games last year.....therefore the offense must have won the other 12....

J/k lol

[AuburnMisfit 0]

What they really want to say:

CEJ: We're going to lock down on their QB and keep the running game in check. We may give up some quick passes underneath, but expect to see our defense make a statement on Thursday night.

CRL: We've studied their defense and know how to exploit it. You may see similarities between the KSU defense and how Mizzou played in the SECCG. That is, we're going to score a lot of points.

[aucanucktiger 1,791]

I'm delighted to read high scoring games don't bother our DC. Simply delighted.

Oh come on. He said nothing about it not bothering him, he simply stated the fact that most fans want to see high flying offenses, not defensive struggles.

Johnson on high-scoring games: "It doesn't bother me. I just think that's the way football has evolved."

The question is which is more annoying, my constant insistance that Ellis is the sore thumb on this coaching staff, or the intellectual retorts by his disciples that basically amount to "your mother wears army boots"? Ellis has a long career. Much of it with mixed results as a coach (vs recruiter, at which he's phenomenal). He currently plays a D that reflects his historic preference for man on man vs zone. His D requires a secondary (with help form other positions) that can on most plays shut down one on one the many top WRs Auburn plays week in, week out. That's simply not happening although many of his current pool (e.g. Moncrief) look up to that fundamantal cornerstone of his defensive ideology. I hope the magic potion suddenly kicks in and our D doesn't need our O to score 30+ points every single game. Our O is epic and usually gets 'er done (thus my jibe about Ellis owing half his paycheck to Gus & Rhett) but when CEJ makes statements like above, they're at best bone-headed and at worst a window into what I fear most about Ellis Johnson: he views the "new" offenses like some folks his age view computers.

And please don't pull the "how can you question from a forum a guy that's been coaching this long". Folks used that to defend Ted Kennedy in Congress for years. If Ellis' D starts holding up it's end, nobody will be happier than me. Can we be intellectually honest about this now though?

[gravejd 3,270]

Awesome, finally got some insight into why you don't like Johnson. It is based on performance to date and past history it seems. Well at least now we have something to discuss. To me the jury is still out on Ellis. We made improvements last year on D from the previous 2 years but finishing 12th in overall D still leaves a lot to be desired. But we held up great on 3rd down D and red zone D so overall I was happy with how the D performed last year. So far this year we have given up 24 points. So I've been happy with how the D has performed this year so far. 1st half against arky was terrible and second half was great so that game is a push. Against SJSU we had one blown coverage which resulted in a TD but other than that I thought the D performed extremely well. So we'll see how the rest of the year goes, but right now I'm liking what I am seeing on D. Its too bad Lawson got hurt because the one glaring area of weekness on our D is outside pass rush. Add Lawson and we have a pretty complete defense! Looking forward to seeing how the D performs against KSU. But I think if we can handle arky we can handle them. Just hope our second half arky D shows up!

[mcgufcm 4,096]

How is recognizing an unquestionable shift in the balance between offense and defense an indication of being behind the times. If anything, an acknowledgement that defenses will not stop modern offenses and should instead focus on forcing turnovers and quick changes is a very progressive view of defense. Intellectually, you're talking out if both sides of your mouth. His emphasis of speed over size, coverage skill over run stuffing, secondary-heavy formations, and tight man coverage is anything but stone-aged.

We play a style of defense that, in theory, creates turnover opportunities but also opens itself to big plays. We're not necessarily a bend but don't break team (although to our credit we show a strong tendency to improve with our backs on the goal line). We're supposed to be an attacking defense that forces turnovers and dominates third down. Not an old-school approach by any means.

[Rednilla 5,390]

I'm delighted to read high scoring games don't bother our DC. Simply delighted.

Oh come on. He said nothing about it not bothering him, he simply stated the fact that most fans want to see high flying offenses, not defensive struggles.

Johnson on high-scoring games: "It doesn't bother me. I just think that's the way football has evolved."

The question is which is more annoying, my constant insistance that Ellis is the sore thumb on this coaching staff, or the intellectual retorts by his disciples that basically amount to "your mother wears army boots"? Ellis has a long career. Much of it with mixed results as a coach (vs recruiter, at which he's phenomenal). He currently plays a D that reflects his historic preference for man on man vs zone. His D requires a secondary (with help form other positions) that can on most plays shut down one on one the many top WRs Auburn plays week in, week out. That's simply not happening although many of his current pool (e.g. Moncrief) look up to that fundamantal cornerstone of his defensive ideology. I hope the magic potion suddenly kicks in and our D doesn't need our O to score 30+ points every single game. Our O is epic and usually gets 'er done (thus my jibe about Ellis owing half his paycheck to Gus & Rhett) but when CEJ makes statements like above, they're at best bone-headed and at worst a window into what I fear most about Ellis Johnson: he views the "new" offenses like some folks his age view computers.

And please don't pull the "how can you question from a forum a guy that's been coaching this long". Folks used that to defend Ted Kennedy in Congress for years. If Ellis' D starts holding up it's end, nobody will be happier than me. Can we be intellectually honest about this now though?

My apologies, when I glanced back I saw the second quotation, which didn't include the first sentence, and not the first one. I don't know why you would call me a disciple of his, however, except because you just want to hammer your point home as hardcore as possible. I like Johnson, but I'm far more concerned with keeping the head coach we have than I am any of the assistants...and I'm more concerned with keeping Rodney Garner on the defensive staff than I am Ellis Johnson.

Now, I'm not about to suggest that he shouldn't be questioned due to the longevity he's had in the game, but the fact of the matter is that there isn't a whole lot of "new" employed in current offensive systems. The only real difference is that teams have begun running the two minute drill for the entire game; Gus's offense, for example, is predicated upon the Wing T, which has been around for six decades or so. If anything, he is simply submitting that offenses have the advantage right now because they can run HUNH without substitution and force defenses to either use the same personnel, tired or not, against every look the offense gives them, or else hurry subs on the field and risk getting caught either with 12 men on the field or completely out of alignment.

But then, that doesn't go along with your theory, and you'd rather use snide comments to describe a guy who HAS been doing this for a long time. Again, his longevity doesn't leave him less vulnerable to questioning, but it does mean he's had a lot of people willing to hire him for a long time.